Blair Academy review by Cornell University student.
The combination of passionate teachers and curious students allows Blair Academy to foster an intellectually stimulating learning environment. Blair provides an initially broad education but supports its students to pursue their interests and gives them every oppurtinity to do so. Whether through providing language immersion trips throughout the world, or encouraging students to design their own academic clubs with teacher guidance, every student is able to extend their intellectual curiosity beyond the classroom. The academia on campus is largely collaborative, and many classrooms include large tables supporting discussion based learning. An engineer myself, I found the math teachers at Blair particularly phenomenal, and it was their passion that sparked my interest in engineering, a course which they now offer. The average class size is 12, but every student will benefit from time spent with teachers outside of the classroom. My physics teacher offered nearly more hours of extra help time than class time for both the students falling behind and those excelling. I graduated with confidence in my public speaking as a result of the public speaking initiative at Blair and I learned greatly about leadership, a trait which our headmaster believes can be taught. I was frequently challenged but always supported by faculty and peers alike throughout my classes at Blair.
Blair's college counseling program is extremely helpful, providing guidance for those who need it, and.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Blair Academy as experienced by former pupil and Cornell University student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on college counseling
They have contacts at most of the major universities and feel perfectly comfortable picking up the phone and advocating for a student to get accepted somewhere they feel is a good fit for that student. However, these counselors are certainly not magic bullets. They cannot guarantee that a student will get into an Ivy League university...
For those wishing to move on to Oxford or Cambridge, the provision is second-to-none. In the months running up to application and interview, every subject faculty offers classes (often run by former Oxbridge tutors) exploring further areas of their subject as well as offering advice on personal statements, interview technique and more...
Most students at Blair will tell you their visit to Blair was their deciding factor.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Blair Academy by former pupil and Cornell University student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on admissions
For the interview, dress conservatively. Try to be very clean and put together. Also, I was a tour guide for two years and at the end of every tour, we were asked to evaluate the candidate so if you think the tour is not apart of the process, you are very wrong. Ask questions and be interested. Also, tip for the parents: the kids speak on the tour. Do not ask their questions for them...
Most younger siblings have an easy time in the admissions process. I can only think of one case of a younger sibling not being admitted. About half of the students who entered with me had come from public schools. The remainder came from private K-6 schools, or had transferred from other New York private schools The Elizabeth Morrow School and St. Bernard were two of the larger feeder schools...
Simply put, you will feel at home at Blair. Every student and teacher is committed to the community and to each other. While campus itself resides in the verdant and rural hills of northwest New Jersey, New York city is only an hour and a half away, and frequent trips are made to the city for music, debates, museums, and food. Speaking of food, by boarding school standards, we have an excellent food service at Blair that supports local produce and avoids every negative connotation of cafeteria food. Most dorms consist of doubles, with occasional singles, but each dorm has.... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Blair Academy as experienced by former pupil and Cornell University student — Login or Sign Up to access full review